


To Justice

by Arianne



Category: Robots - Isaac Asimov
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-22
Updated: 2011-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-27 19:49:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/299421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arianne/pseuds/Arianne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I hope you like this, recipient! I loved the world of the Caves of Steel, so when you mentioned your interest in sci-fi worlds, I wanted to explore that.</p>
    </blockquote>





	To Justice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SnorkackCatcher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnorkackCatcher/gifts).



> I hope you like this, recipient! I loved the world of the Caves of Steel, so when you mentioned your interest in sci-fi worlds, I wanted to explore that.

Han Fastolfe was trying very hard to maintain his good humor. He was failing.

He had had no downtime in the days since Roj Sarton's passing, so that it didn't seem real except for the constant stream of activity related to his murder. It had taken three days to get Julius Enderby to come back and take him seriously, and not with so much as a man for backup. They were standing in a makeshift laboratory-turned-conference room. Rooms were at a premium in Spacetown, less than elesewhere on Earth but enough that adjustments had to be made. On Aurora, the space would have been quite inadequate, but as Fastolfe found himself reminded near-constantly: he was not on Aurora. It would do. Enderby was there only to discuss the murder, and that they were: with Enderby doing most of the talking, and all of it in a frantic, low voice.

"I'm not sure why you didn't use trimensional viewing today," Fastolfe said, simply to derail Enderby's thinking out loud about how inappropriate it would be of the New York City police department to deal with a Spacer affair. He insisted upon this fact, though he had already officially agreed to take on the case.

"You said you were going to send a man back with me. I thought I'd have to take him."

"A man. Yes, if that's what you want to think." He still believed a Spacer would set foot into a City, and Fastolfe had tired of correcting him.

"Where is he, then?"

Fastolfe strode across the room to the hardline comm link used throughout the building. "Daneel," he spoke into the receiver, "please come to the examination room."

"Our police department," Enderby went on, "is small for a city our size. Very little crime, you understand. Fewer murders than ever before."

"If yours are inexperienced, all the more reason I need one of ours on the case."

"I suppose you're right."

"For once, it seems we can agree," Fastolfe said.

"Has your man been told he will be working with one of mine?"

"I haven't informed him yet."

"And he will agree to this? I've had a hard time selecting one of my own men willing to work with a Spacer, and there's no guarantee."

"I assure you, Mr. Enderby, he will agree."

Fastolfe's body was turned perpendicular to the open door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement.

"Have you been there the whole time, Daneel?"

Daneel stepped into the room itself, took in his surroundings, and spoke. "I came immediately upon receiving your summons." Julius Enderby, upon seeing him, looked as if he were about to faint.

"You stand so still," Fastolfe chided. "Next time say something, will you? I have someone for you to meet."

"Julius Enderby," announced Enderby, stepping towards Daneel as if it was an obligation, and an extremely unpleasant one at that. It amused Fastolfe how the Earthmen were incapable of handling their robots.

Daneel approached Enderby smoothly and held out his hand at once. Again, several moments passed until Enderby shook it. "I am Robot Daneel Olivaw."

"Dr. Fastolfe introduced -- told me about you," Enderby said, falling over his words.

Fastolfe believed could have remained watching this all day. "Daneel, that's enough," he instructed instead. "Please have a seat." He gestured toward the one available surface in the room, an examination table. Before it was repurposed into conference room by simply adding some chairs, this had, after all, been the site of Daneel's original assembly and regular maintenance. Daneel sat.

"Daneel," Enderby began, tentatively, "your --" He turned suddenly to Fastolfe. "I'm afraid I don't know what to call you."

"I am a roboticist who assisted the late Dr. Sarton in Daneel's creation. He knows me as Dr. Fastolfe as well," he said, not without humor.

"Yes," Enderby said, unconvinced, and resumed speaking to Daneel. "Dr. Fastolfe has told me he intends to have you assist my department in this investigation. Is that something you feel you can do?"

Daneel could not respond before Dr. Fastolfe spoke.

"Daneel does not _feel_ anything, Mr. Enderby. He is a robot. You don't need to address him at all."

"Then I take up my concerns with you. Will he be able to work on the same level as a human? In our city, robots are just beginning to take over jobs. Perhaps in Dr. Calvin's day--"

"Are you one of their medievalists?"

"As a matter of fact," Enderby said, "I am."

"Dr. Calvin is a legend to my people, and you well know it. And she herself would've bowed to Roj. Daneel is a masterpiece."

"He's a fine piece of engineering, Dr. Fastolfe. I do not question his ability as a capable robot, only as a detective."

Han Fastolfe was quickly losing his patience. "Listen, man! We don't have the luxury of choosing. If I had my way I'd have a Spacer -- a proper one from Aurora, mind -- I'd have a Spacer sent here to do the job. We don't have that kind of time. You don't let on, but I believe you know your galactic politics as well as I do."

"Let me brief him, at least." Enderby was beginning to act frantic once more.

"You'll get your chance when I'm finished with him."

"What will you do?"

"Dr. Sarton was at work on developing a way to instill a sense of justice in Daneel. I'm going to complete the installation."

"I should take my leave," Enderby said.

"If you wish to wait," Dr. Fastolfe said lightly. "Do you mind, Daneel?"

"I do not," Daneel replied from his seat on the table.

Enderby remained.

Fastolfe turned to Daneel, and stood at his side. "Remove your shirt and lie back."

Daneel did so, removing his shirt methodically, folding it beside him, and lowering himself gently to lie on his back. Dr. Fastolfe walked around to a small bin beside the table, and from there took two gloves, a necessity. One spark of static electricity to the wrong components, and Daneel's positronic brain would fail. Without Sarton, Daneel was irreplaceable for the time being.

"Open," he said, approaching Daneel. Daneel slowly pressurized the plates in his chest, and opened them to reveal the circuitry inside.

Fastolfe did not look up, but he could hear Enderby gasp, as if he still believed Daneel to be human until this moment. "Sh-shouldn't you... power him down first?"

Fastolfe had retrieved his data pad, and connected it via the diagnostic uplink cable within Daneel's body while speaking. He set it on the table next to the tools he'd laid out ahead of time, including the new chip itself. "He needs to be aware so he can speak to me. Are you feeling well, Daneel?"

"Yes," Daneel said.

"What do you think about Mr. Enderby trying to find the Earthman who killed Dr. Sarton?" Fastolfe had briefed him on the basics of the situation earlier in the day, when it had been decided Daneel would be their man on the inside, as it were.

"I think the facts are such that it would not be practical to enact measures affecting all Earthmen for the sake of one," Daneel said.

"Good," Fastolfe said.

"Good?" demanded Enderby.

"I haven't installed the part yet, Mr. Enderby. He gave me a perfectly logical response -- for a robot." He had prepared the small chip, and grasped it by its edges. He lowered it carefully into an open drive on Daneel's main board, and let it drop in.

Daneel blinked furiously, but otherwise remained still.

"That's all there is to it. I'm going to configure his new processes now. It feels odd, doesn't it, Daneel?"

"Like my first days on-line."

"Just like that. Now tell me, what do you think about this case?"

"I think --" Daneel began, but couldn't continue. "Psychic pro--"

"Too strong," Fastolfe said to himself. "I thought so, but no harm ever comes from strengthening the First Law. I'll just turn it down." He easily typed the command lines on his data pad. As he pressed enter, he spared a glance at Enderby, who was watching with what looked like horror.

"Now, Daneel?"

"The perpetrator must be brought to justice." Enderby cowered. Disbelieving that a robot could be so effective, Fastolfe theorized.

"Your methods?"

"Determine motive, then use minimally invasive cerebroanalysis of likely suspects."

"Just like that, Mr. Enderby, he's a detective. A better one than any human could be. Stay there, Daneel." he said when Daneel, believing them to be finished, attempted to sit up. He immediately lowered himself again. Fastolfe put aside his gloves in the waste bin, and left the tools to have cleaned up later. He left the data pad connected.

"I'm not convinced yet," Enderby said.

"You will be," said Fastolfe. Daneel wasn't his creation to be proud of, but still he felt pride. "Now I'd like to do some extensive diagnostic testing to reprogram Daneel's mind more thorougly. Again, you're welcome to wait outside. It will take several hours."

"And when you're finished?" Enderby asked.

"When I'm finished you'll go with him, Daneel. He has someone for you to meet."


End file.
